Once Upon A Forever by A.V. Scott
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Eight years ago, Cooper was dating the hottest and most desired girl in Ash Falls and on his way to take over his father’s hotel empire –– the thing was, it wasn’t the life he wanted. The only way he could escape the life his parents had planned for him, was to give up the money and power that came with being a Chamberlin. And, that’s exactly what he planned to do. At the end of the Summer, he was going to leave it all behind, start a new life, on his own terms and without the influence that came with being a Chamberlin. That was, before he met Emma. Following her parents’ divorce, Emma is the rock for her alcoholic mother, and her younger sister. She appears resilient, and tenacious, but inside she’s falling apart. The only thing that keeps her going is her love for writing poetry, and that when she finally graduates High School, she’ll be able to start living the life she has always dreamed of. Until she meets Cooper. It was supposed to be a Summer fling. She had dreams of her own. Dreams that didn’t include him or his social circles. No one even knew they were friends, let alone lovers. Yet, for one Summer, Emma became Cooper’s entire world. And he, a reminder that love doesn’t have to come with warning signs. Until one frightful night, when both of their lives, and the lives of the residents of Ash Falls, were turned upside down. Emma is left with one choice, run from the life she thought she didn’t want, and the guy who stole her heart. But, when she returns six years she is faced with a devastating truth that shakes the very foundation that her life was built upon. Another has already claimed the man she loves. Will true love prove the test of time? Will cooper find his way without losing the things and people that matter to him the most? Can Emma recover from life's lessons? Could Emma and Cooper’s love survive when those closest to them keep tearing them apart?
3 out of 5 (good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I had pretty high hopes for this book. After reading the blurb it sounded pretty amazing and I couldn't wait to start it. Unfortunately, it didn't quite stand up to my hopes and was kind of a let down. Overall though, the story was good and the story line was decent.
The part where Cooper sleeps with Emma's sister kind of turned me off pretty quick to the story. It took quite a while to draw me back in and keep me reading. Had I known that was part of the story, I'm not sure this would have been my choice to read it. Certain parts of the story seemed to drag or details seemed to keep being retold over and over in repeat. I think that the story could have used maybe one more round with beta readers or another round at the editor. I'm not just referencing grammatical errors but writing style or paragraph structure and it would have made the story better overall.
The idea of the story and the overall premise of the story were promising. The story as a whole was a good story and at times were intriguing and kept you reading. After starting the story it's the type of story where you want to keep reading to find out what happens and to find out why things happened. At times events were shocking and at times the story was heart breaking.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
